


Quarantine and Chill? More like Quarantine and Find A New Place To Live

by acapellanerd



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Daddy Issues, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23997901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acapellanerd/pseuds/acapellanerd
Summary: Dean Winchester was just getting his life on track, first year of college at 24, solid nearby job for income, good grades in most of his classes, calculus was just not his strong suit, his fault for choosing a major in architecture, when boom global coronavirus pandemic and Kansas State University is forced to send all their students home. Unfortunately for him when home isn't an option or a solid place, but his best friend Charlie has a plan. Their friend Gabriel has a brother in need of a living space just as desperately as he does. Will it be as torturous as Dean thinks it will, or will he find comfort in the most unlikely of places?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury/Jo Harvelle, Ellen Harvelle/Bobby Singer, Gabriel/Kali (Supernatural), Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Kicked Out Kid

**Author's Note:**

> While we are all sitting in quarantine ourselves, I thought it'd be fun to do a quarantine au where Castiel and Dean meet and are stuck in quarantine together in their new place together and grow close. I think it'll make for a funny, cute story that will be just what you need when you are so bored and have already spent four hours on your phone. Updates at least once a week, probably more :)

“Fuck.” Dean says, slamming his phone down onto the metal counter a little harder than he meant to, causing the nearby customers in booth 7 to look up at him in concern. He just fake smiles and walks into the kitchen, too pissed to care about the lack of customer service and smaller tip at this point. 

He knew everything his college had told him over the last few weeks was bullshit. The moment they sent the email extending spring break, he should have started looking for places, but Charlie convinced him not to. Be optimistic my ass. He finds himself so lost in thought that he almost doesn’t see Garth coming straight towards him with 7 plates, 4 on one arm, and 3 on the other, and he barely moves out of the way, causing a colossal traffic jam, something Bobby obviously notices. 

“What are you doing out there, ya idjit. Daydreaming is for princesses, your eyes might make you a looker, but you’re not that bright.” 

“I’m sorry Bobby, it’s just this pandemic shit. My college is kicking us out, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” Dean says, picking up the next ticket in hopes that the busier he is, the less thought he has to put into anything else. 

“Well, that’s too bad. But you’re not getting paid to stand with your head in the clouds. I’m sure John would be glad to have you back.” 

That’s a no go. Not even God himself would make Dean Winchester crawl back to whatever shit hole hotel room his dad was holed up in, he’d worked too hard to go back, he wasn’t gonna start now. Especially after everything. 

“Over my dead body.” Dean says, and with that abruptly leaves the kitchen to end the conversation then and there before Bobby comes up with some guilt trip about how John isn’t a deadbeat and will support him no matter what. It’s not his fault, he doesn’t know the full story, but Dean would like to keep it that way. 

“Here you go, a Johnny carribean jerk burger extra mayo, and a chicago style hot dog with slaw on the side. Anything else I can do for you?” Ugh, even his flirt has been dropkicked, this girl is pretty attractive, normally he’d be pulling out all the stops, but with this news, even his mojo is off. 

“You could do a lot of things for me if you’d like.” She responds with a simple, soft glance. Ok, well his confidence might have taken a little hit, but it seems like her’s has not. 

“Well, I think I’ll have to start by getting your number.” He replies, at least he’s not so far off of his game, he just needed a second to get back into character. 

She laughs, her dark brown hair, and soft brown eyes seeming to shimmer a little as she writes her number down on the corner of a napkin and hands it to him, making sure to linger there with her hand, just to reel him in, but he doesn’t bite, and starts to turn around when she scoffs. 

“Uh, do I not get to put a name to such a pretty little face?” He can’t help the soft smile that accompanies the redness in his cheeks, most women aren’t so abrupt. 

“Dean.” He says with a smirk, “And yours?” 

“Lisa.” She then puts a few dollars on the table, and gets up, her to go boxes in hand. Just before she walks away, she turns and says “Call before 6, my roommate gets passive aggressive when I’m on the phone too long.” And with that, she’s off, and Dean is pulled back to reality by the sight of her putting on a mask. Oh god, what is he gonna do? 

The rest of his shift seems to end in a blur, as the thoughts keep circling and circling in his head. He can’t go back to Lawrence, he doesn’t even know if his dad is still there, and he was proud of where he had gotten, away from the drinking, and the drama. He didn’t need it affecting him anymore. Sammy was in college himself, but he had an apartment with Jessica and there was no way he was gonna crash that sex party, Sammy told him way too much information sometimes. Maybe he should call Charlie and see her plans, he has some money saved up, maybe he could get a place. He slides into his baby and picks up his cell phone, pulling out of the dinky burger joint he works at part time and dialing his red headed best friend. 

The moment he hears the tone of her answering the phone he pounces, “I told you! And now look what I’m gonna do, I have no plan, no money, and no place, but other than that, I’m freakin awesome.” He practically screams, not to her but to everyone and everything in his surroundings. 

“Ok, hot head, calm your tits. Yes you have them, don’t deny it. Your queen would never lead you astray, she cares for her people. I’ve already come up with a plan for you.” Dean would be lying if he didn’t question the authenticity of her said plan but he decides to go with it.” 

“Ok, sure, let’s hear it.” 

“Wellll, you know Gabriel.” 

“Of course I know Gabriel, how could I not, short, loud, always eating some type of candy and bouncing off the walls like a rocket ship?” This guy was the epitome of a kid who ate too much sugar but every single day and every single second of human interaction Dean has ever had with him. 

“Yep, that’s the one. Well, he has a little brother that goes to our school who might be in a similar predicament of yours. I figure you talk to him, feel him out, and maybe you two could work out a living situation. At least for the summer.” 

Dean lets out a groan that pulses throughout his whole body. Even Baby could feel the anguish, “Sorry Baby, you deserve better.” He whispers, putting his hand on the dashboard. 

“Charlie, I thought you said you had a solution. This just sounds like another shitty roommate situation where they don’t like me or my personality and get fed up and bolt.” Dean says hopelessly. 

“Alright, let’s put the truth out there for once that you are extremely picky about roommates because no one is as good as Sam, and you really left Neil no choice, you were blasting Black Sabbath at 4 in the morning every night to piss him off into leaving.” 

Dean pretends to take offense.“Neil was a fairy! He gave himself manicures every weekend and put his feet into one of those do it yourself pedicure baths and called it Spa Sunday!” 

“Let’s face it Dean, you were just jealous he didn’t have a fancy foot machine for you!” . . . Dean lets silence fill the air, momentarily acknowledging that might have been a considerable factor. 

“Whatever the case, he left and I was screwed into that room and board upcharge and I swore off roommates then and there and you know this.” He pulls into his dorm building, and sees the sight of thousands of fellow students moving out of their dorms frantically, boxes everywhere, couches thrown to the side, televisions being shoved into minivans, oh the horror. He sighs, and faceplants into the steering wheel knowing what he has to do. 

“What’s the guys’ name?” He says, ever so begrudgingly. 

“Castiel, I really think you’ll like him.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He hangs up the call and stares out the window. This is gonna be a long few months. 


	2. Moving Boxes and Bad Cell Reception

Dean knew there was a reason he hated moving so much as a child, and it wasn’t just because his family was getting ripped apart at the time, although that definitely had an impact. It was the boxes, the stuff, the sorting, the packing. Every second was even more annoying than the last but the thought of having to do it for a single second longer than he had to, kept him going, and he was making progress. His side of the room was almost completely packed away, he didn’t really have that much stuff, it was just trying to figure out where to put it that was the problem.

He had gotten the info for this Castiel dude from Charlie the night before, but he was putting off contact for as long as possible. I mean what kind of name even is Castiel, anyways? Like who sits there and goes through childbirth, gets their child in their arms and takes one look at em and says “Castiel”, they must have been on something, and that can only mean bad news for his soon to be roommate, hopefully. He doesn’t even know how he feels about it at this point, but a roommate means half the rent costs and it’s bad enough that he was probably going to have to get another job to cover the rent plus utilities himself. And add school full time on top of that, and there was no way he could manage that, at least not without working himself to death, which he knew from experience and was learning from his best mistakes.

“Ugh, come on Winchester, man up.” He says to himself, taking a seat onto his bare mattress, he probably should have waited to take the sheet off. He was staying the night at Charlie’s for a few nights until he could get everything settled. As he hits call, he can almost sense the awkwardness that he is about to put himself through and decides to hang up right as he hears the most gravelly, deep, throaty “Hello?” and then the call ends. He sits staring at the red screen for about 5 seconds before realizing he just hung up on him which prompts an aggressive delayed reaction.

  
“Oh shit.” He says, nearly falling off the edge of the bed, putting his foot through one of the boxes sitting on the floor that he knew he would step on, luckily it was just some old notebooks, but that’s still another box he has to pack, what else can go wrong?

He takes a second and breathes, thinking of an excuse for why he hung up and dials back trying to fake boost his confidence but failing miserably. This time, the phone rings for a shorter period of time before the gravelly voice returns, “Hello?”

  
“Um, hi. This is Dean? Uh Charlie gave me your number, I mean Gabriel gave it to Charlie to give to me I assume, I’m not exactly sure how she got your number in the first place, I”

  
“ _Yes, I’m aware._ ” . . .

  
“What?” Dean says, actually confused by what just happened.

  
“ _I’m aware how you got my number._ ”

  
“Oh, yes haha. Um, well I was just calling to see if you were actually interested in getting a place, I could probably do 1000 or less if we split rent and utilities, I only need one bedroom so it wouldn’t be unreasonable I suppose _._ ” Dean at this point is wondering if he forgot how to speak to another human being, and the silence on the other end of the line is quite intimidating. After about what seems like an eternity, the voice answers.

  
“ _Did you hang up_?”

  
“Huh?” Dean feels the entire room closing in on his own stupidity.

  
“ _Well I answered before and then the call ended so I just was curious if you. . ._ ”

  
“Oh no, the call failed, you know, bad reception, gotta love college.” Ugh can this conversation get any worse.

  
“ _Ok, well that’s fine._ ”

  
“Um yeah, you know bad signaling with the network towers nearby and stuff.” Lord help him.

  
“ _No, the apartment. That sounds fine._ ”

  
Dean feels his whole body sag in relief, he really needs a place. “Well, I actually found a few options, I work tonight 3-11 but I could probably check some out tomorrow if you’re free.” All of a sudden Dean hears what sounds like a freight train and a large crash on the other line.

  
“ _Gabriel, I’m on the phone. This is why I told you not to come over. I knew you’d undo everything._ ” Castiel says slightly annoyed.  
“ _Sorry, that works._ ”

  
“Ok, cool. I can text you the addresses so you can take a look online, I also can drive if that’d be more convenient.” There is no way Dean is letting anyone else drive him around with such a beauty just sitting in the parking lot.

  
“ _You can drive, my driving skills are not my best feat._ ” Dean can hear Gabriel snicker through the phone, “ _yeah because all you do is just stare at the bees and not actually drive._ ” Dean hears ruffling on the line and knows Castiel is probably kicking him out of the room. He pretends not to hear and continues on casually.

  
“Well I’ll drive then. What dorm building are you in, I can swing by around noon and we can start from there.” Dean pulls out his laptop to start booking the tours.

  
“ _That’s fine, I’m in South._ ” 

  
“Ok, I’ll text you when to come down. I’m booking the tours now so we should be able to get in.” Dean hopes and prays anyways, this encounter is actually starting to look up.

  
“ _Ok._ ” 

  
“Alright, see ya Cas.” Dean is about to hang up when he’s abruptly cut off.

  
“ _What?_ ”

  
“Oh, I just said see ya.” Dean is starting to question his own identity with this conversation.

  
“ _Who is Cas?_ ”

  
“Oh, sorry your name is just kinda long so I just thought I could call you Cas. I don’t know, if you hate it, I’ll stop, sorry.” Great, first phone call and he’s already pissing the guy off.

  
“ _No you don’t have to stop, I just was unsure who you were referring to._ ”

  
“Oh, yeah you haha.” Dean wants to dig himself a hole to China at this point, save him the ultimate embarrassment of finishing this call.

  
“ _Ok, well goodbye._ ”

  
“Bye.” Dean hangs up and sinks into the mattress in utter hatred of his social skills. That could have gone a lot worse, but it could have also gone better. Cas, really? What was he thinking? The guy didn’t seem to hate it, his name was really bugging him though. Does it mean something, is it a message, he has to look it up.

  
He pulls out his phone and starts the google search “Casteel name meaning” Great here it is, he even has his name spelled wrong in his phone. This is why friendships are hopeless to Dean Winchester.“Castiel, Angel of Thursday?” Dean swears this shit just keeps getting weirder and weirder. He seemed pretty chill on the phone, a bit on the quirky side, but who knows. Maybe his whole family is part of some religious cult where they are all named angels of weekdays. No weekends allowed. Unfortunately, he would have to put off his continuously creepy thoughts until work because it was 2:30 and he hadn’t even pulled out his crusty uniform. 

  
He was glad he had told Sam he found some part time mechanic work, if Sam ever saw him in his stupid light blue shirt, and red suspenders, or his little red hat, he would never hear the end of it. But he makes really good tips as a waiter, it’s the sex look. He’s got it nailed. Charlie and Jo, her girlfriend of a few years are swinging by his dorm later to move his shit in for him. Dean thinks they feel bad enough for him about the situation to help and he doesn’t want to move at all so he was not gonna say no to that offer, even if it was out of pity. He still has to unpack it all tonight after he gets off and that thought is what sends him wanting to jump off a bridge. He instead repacks the box he destroyed, lots of duck tape, finishes the last two boxes, throws on his uniform, and heads down to his beautiful car.

  
The spring in Kansas has been here since January, and the humidity makes beads of sweat form on his forehead and fall into his eyes. He likes the dry heat though, he misses summers in Lawrence with Sam and fireworks, not all of his memories from his childhood are tainted, just 96.8234% percent. He sees a flash of blond golden hair as he gets in the car, but swallows it down out of fear of feeling the pain. His mother was an angel, until the fire burned her out. As he pulls out of the parking lot, he swears he can still see the flames in the nearby sun, as he drives down the smoldering street, ready for another lousy work shift. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of doing the next chapter in Castiel's point of view of the phone call so that way you get his point of view of Dean too. I also was thinking of a phone call between Sam and Dean. Let me know what you think in the comments :)


	3. Children and Bees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's POV of their phone call with a little interruption from Gabriel. I thought I'd put Dean's words in italics, and Castiel's in normal text to make it easier to distinguish between the two. Let me know what you think. I wanted to give Castiel his own chapter so the call with Sam will be next :)

Castiel was used to this. Every time something starts to work out for him, something completely unexpected just pummels its way into his life and ruins it. He wasn’t expecting a global coronavirus pandemic to be the problem, but he will follow the necessary adjustments. He was finally on his own, doing what he wanted to do without the unnecessary judgement from his family. Now of course, as he packs away all his belongings and feels the pressure of being on his own, he’s seeing that as more of a problem than a solution and finds himself craving some familiarity. 

“Cassie, I’m home!” Castiel spoke too soon. 

“Gabriel, I don’t have time for your antics, I have to return my beekeeping gear to the entomology director by 2:30 and you still have all of your stuff that has slowly overcome my whole wardrobe to pack up so no messing around.” Castiel doesn’t even know why he’s bothering to speak to Gabriel in a serious manner, he knows it’s going into one ear and out the other. 

“How are you gonna survive without your little friends Cassie, you speak to the bees more than you speak to your fellow humans.” Castiel regrets ever deciding to go to the same college as Gabriel. 

“Keep talking and you’ll find all of your candy has mysteriously disappeared.” Gabriel gives him a look which Castiel returns with absolute confirmation, and a poof hand gesture. 

“Where’s the tape?” Castiel and Gabriel start to get into a rhythm of packing and sorting when his phone starts ringing from an unknown number. 

“Who is that?” Gabriel asks curiously. 

“I don’t know, probably just some telemarketer asking me about car insurance.” They keep calling him asking him about a mortgage he doesn’t have and he doesn’t know how to be put on the no call list. It took weeks of him saying no call and hanging up for Gabriel to tell him that won’t get him off the list. 

“Well, aren’t you supposed to get a call from your potential new roomie?” Castiel all but jumps through the maze of boxes for his phone and answers on the last ring “Hello?” and then hears the dial tone. 

“Well?” 

“He hung up.” 

“What?” 

“He hung up, I got through but he hung up.” Great, just what he needs, just another person annoyed by his existence, he knew this apartment thing was a bad idea. 

“Are you sure you answered in time?” 

“Gabriel, I know I’m the youngest and I’m not the best with technology, but could you please not insult my intelligence any more than you already have? I’m pretty sure I know how a phone works.” 

“Reeeeerrrrrrr the claws are out today Cassie, you need a power nap.” Castiel just ignores Gabriel and keeps packing when his phone rings again. He’s not making the same mistake as last time and answers rather quickly. “Hello?” 

_“Um, hi. This is Dean? Uh Charlie gave me your number, I mean Gabriel gave it to Charlie to give to me I assume, I’m not exactly sure how she got your number in the first place, I”_

“Yes, I’m aware.” Gabriel gives him a look like he just stole from a child and he rolls his eyes and turns around. 

_“What?”_

“I’m aware how you got my number.” Gabriel smacks his ass with an empty paper towel roll and he turns around prepared for war when Gabriel whispers, “Wow Castiel, I didn’t know I’d walked into an ice box.” Maybe he was being kinda harsh. 

_“Oh, yes_ _haha_ _. Um, well I was just calling to see if you were actually interested in getting a place, I could probably do 1000 or less if we split rent and utilities, I only need one bedroom so it wouldn’t be unreasonable I suppose.”_

“Did you hang up?” Gabriel pretend shoots himself and falls dramatically on the floor. 

_“What?_

“Well I answered before and then the call ended so I just was curious if you. . .” Castiel starts to realize how this probably might come off the wrong way. 

_“Oh no, the call failed, bad reception,_ _gotta_ _love college.”_

“Ok, well that’s fine.” Gabriel is still lying on the floor playing dead so Castiel goes up to him and places a box directly on his back. 

_“Um yeah, you know bad signaling with the network towers nearby and stuff.”_

“No, the apartment. That sounds fine.” He really should be paying more attention to this conversation but it’s hard with his child older brother playing games. 

_“Well, I actually found a few options, I work tonight 3-11 but I could probably check some out tomorrow if you’re free.”_ Right as Castiel is about to respond, he hears the sound of Gabriel knocking over all of his pots and pans leaving an unsorted jumbled up mess and he’s had it. 

“Gabriel, I’m on the phone. This is why I told you not to come over. I knew you’d undo everything.” He throws one of the empty boxes on his bed at him missing, and knocking over some books. He realizes with embarrassment that the silence on the other end means that Dean heard the whole encounter and tries to play it cool. “Sorry, that works.” 

_“Ok, cool. I can text you the addresses so you can_ _take a look_ _online, I also can drive if that’d be more convenient.”_

Castiel thanks the gods, his car is hanging onto life by a thread and he doesn’t think he needs anyone to see it as their first impression of him. He’ll screw it up enough already all by himself. “You can drive, my driving skills are not my best feat.” Gabriel lets out a hefty laugh and says “Yeah because all you do is stare at the bees and not actually drive.” With one swift maze like motion Castiel all but pushes Gabriel out of the room and locks the door, leaving Gabriel’s fake cries muffled by 4 inches of plywood. 

_“Well I’ll drive then. What dorm building are you in, I can swing by around noon and we can start from there.”_ Castiel internally checks that he’s free and then chuckles realizing all his classes are basically cancelled for the week. He doesn’t work at the café until Thursday so that should work. 

“That’s fine, I’m in South.” Castiel receives the text from Dean with the places and decides he’ll wait until after his meeting with the Entomology director to check them out. 

_“Ok, I’ll text you when to come down. I’m booking the tours now so we should be able to get in.”_

“Ok.” Castiel assumes the call is about to end and goes to let Gabriel back in. Right as he gets the door, Dean stops him in his tracks. 

_“Alright, see_ _ya_ _Cas.”_

Who is Cas? Does Dean think he’s someone else. Oh great he’s gonna have to look for another person and start this already rocky process all over again. 

"What?"

_"Oh, I just said see ya."_

“Who is Cas?” 

_“Oh, sorry your name is just_ _kinda_ _long so I just thought I could call you Cas. I don’t know, if you hate it, I’ll stop sorry.”_ Of course, it’s just a nickname you idiot, that’s just what friends do. Friends? Maybe this actually was gonna work out the way Castiel wanted it to. 

“No you don’t have to stop, I just was unsure who you were referring to.” 

_“Oh, yeah you_ _haha_ _.”_ Castiel looks at the clock realizing it’s 2:10 and he needs to go. 

“Ok, well goodbye.” 

_“Bye.”_

Castiel quickly opens the door to a less than amused Gabriel but he has no time to play nice when he has a 15 minute walk across campus to get to Dr. Richfield’s office. 

“Gabriel, I’m sorry but I don’t have to time to act like I’m actually sorry, I have to return my equipment by 2:30 and I’m barely gonna make it even with me leaving right now.” Gabriel sticks his tongue out and Castiel all but bursts out the door speed walking, well as fast as you can speed walk with a beekeeper suit in tow. But as he walks, he finds himself thinking that this move might not be as bad as he thought it would be. It might be nice to have a friend for a change. He did call him Cas, that had to mean something right. His thoughts lead him all the way to his meeting. 


End file.
